307 Series II

Cleaner styling, revised cabins, improved engines, more standard equipment, new features and the availability of two automatic turbo-diesel models are the weapons in the Peugeot 307 Series II’s armoury.

Aping its larger 407 brethren with a gaping bumper-level air intake, the 307 Series II’s corporate nose features an aluminium bonnet that is shorter than before even though the proboscis itself extends 10mm further forward.

Along with the redesigned bumpers, there are repositioned fog lights, revised taillights on the hatch and Touring wagon, redesigned hubcaps/alloy wheels and a fresh colour palette.

Inside the instrumentation and centre console is new, while the ambience has been lifted with more upmarket trim. On top-line models leather trim ensconces the upper dash.

The standard 80kW 1.6-litre single-cam 16-valve four-cylinder unit remains as before. Maximum power peaks at 5750rpm while the 147Nm torque output tops out at 4000rpm.

But the twin-cam 16-valve 2.0-litre sees a 3kW power (to 103kW at 6000rpm) and 10Nm torque (to 200Nm at 4000rpm) hike. Now more of the latter occurs earlier – 92 per cent of it at 2500rpm.

Even better is the arrival of a 130kW Sport version of the above, featuring a variable valve intake mechanism to help that 27kW power increase peak at 7000rpm. Torque rises only slightly, to 202Nm at 4750rpm.

However this engine is only available with a five-speed manual gearbox, unlike the others that offer the existing AL4 four-speed automatic fitted with a sequential-shift facility.

On the HDi turbo-diesel front there’s the DV6 TED4 1.6-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder unit launched in the outgoing 307 in May. It produces 80kW at 4000rpm and 240Nm at 1750rpm, and is Euro IV emissions compliant thanks to particulate filters.

It produces 100kW at 4000rpm and 320Nm at 2000rpm – with 20Nm extra on tap in the lower four gears when a quick burst of oomph is needed, to bring the total to 340Nm.

The big news for the HDi is that a four-speed automatic transmission is coming in the second quarter of next year. Until now they’ve both been manual-only (albeit a six-speeder in the 2.0 HDi).

On the safety front improved airbag performance, better windscreen wiper design, seatbelt buzzers and more protective head restraints for the front seat have been incorporated.